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I hope you don’t get tired of me reminding you that adding just a year or two to your life could be the difference between being part of the last generation to suffer and die from aging – or being part of the first generation to enjoy youthful extreme lifespans.

 

And my suggestions should add way more than a few healthy years to your life. So please excuse the mantra. I think about it every day, but only remind you every month or so.

 

Remember me telling you about how good strength training is for your heart and your brain? It cuts your chances of dying from the number one killer way back. Now a new study shows you another unexpected benefit. Strength training dramatically reduces your chance of getting the most feared disease of all… cancer!

 

Although this particular study was done on men, it’s for the ladies too.

 

Here’s what the report said:

 

Men with stronger muscles from regular weight training are up to 40 percent less likely to die from cancer, according to new research.

The findings suggest that muscular strength is as important as staying slim and eating healthy when it comes to protecting your body against deadly tumors.

A team of experts tracked the lifestyles of over 8,500 men for more than two decades. Each volunteer had regular medical check ups that included tests of their muscular strength. The men who regularly worked out with weights and had the highest muscle strength were between 30 percent and 40 percent less likely to lose their life to a deadly tumor.

Even among volunteers who were overweight, regular weight training seemed to have a protective effect, although the researchers stressed that keeping a healthy weight was still crucial for avoiding premature death.

But they added, "In the light of these results, it is equally important to maintain healthy muscular strength levels.”

Researchers said it’s possible to reduce cancer mortality rates in men by promoting resistance training involving the major muscle groups at least two days a week.

Sources:

  The Telegraph May 26, 2009

  Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention 18, 1468, May 1, 2009

 

See that? I’ll bet every single cancer victim would wish he or she could go back in time and spend a little effort in the gym or at home once they knew these facts. Ditto for heart disease victims, at least the ones who survived their first heart attack.

 

You don’t need to be another Arnold. Just do sensible regular strength training. Then enjoy the other benefits of looking, thinking and feeling better all your long life.